July 1, 2010

What do you make when you have a tub of oats, a massive jar of applesauce, and oodles of raisins on hand?

Some might say that cookies are the obvious choice, but being the lazy gal that I am, my vote goes to quick bread*! The results of this recipe are fluffy yet dense and even a little bit chewy, which is quite a unique quality for this type of bread. Would cookies be better? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

*Are you sick of seeing these gazillions of quick bread recipes yet? Sorry. The mini loaf has become a staple in our household--they make great "handfood," which means they're easy to grab and eat on the run. I doubt the various versions of the convenient little rectangles will disappear any time soon, so if you're sick of 'em, tough. I does what I likes and I likes what I do.

You just come for the profound and abstruse narrative anyway, right? :)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease a different but equivalent-in-portion pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. In another bowl combine the applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil, vanilla, and egg. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add in the applesauce mixture. Stir together just until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold in the walnuts and raisins with a spatula.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared molds. Bake for 16-18 minutes for muffins, around 30 minutes for mini loaves, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

I don't think I could ever be sick of quick bread. I have a ton on my blog too...i love to try new ones! I just posted a blueberry orange bread that is my new favorite. :) Yours looks really good...not a huge fan of raisins, but I'd replace them with chocolate chips :)